"Jerusalem"

Another poem that I really enjoyed reading in World Classics was “Jerusalem” by Yehuda Amichai. I enjoyed this one because it had a theme of things that are different can be the same. This is a theme because the poem depicts Jerusalem and the outside city. He describes the two cities as being enemies and hating the other, but he also uses the same images to describe their hatred. He does not only uses similar images between the two to depict the animosity between the two cities, but he also uses similar images to depict the similarity between the two (such as youth). Amichai states, “On a roof in the Old City / laundry hanging in the late afternoon sunlight: / the white sheet of a woman who is my enemy, / the towel of a man who is my enemy, / to wipe of his brow” (1-5). This stanza shows symbols used to explain the hatred between the two cities, but what’s interesting about the symbols of sheets and towels is that they are both items that people in both of the cities would use. He also states, “In the sky of the Old City / a kite. / At the other end of the string, / a child / I can’t see / because of the wall” (6-11). This stanza shows that in both cities there are children who do not understand the reasoning behind the hatred between the two cities because they are young, innocent, and naïve. And because of all of these traits, they enjoy the same things in life as other children: freedom and adventure, much like the freedom and adventure that can come from a kite. The last stanza really shows a similarity between the two cities because Amichai states, “We have put up many flags, / they have put up many flags. / To make us think that they‘re happy. / To make us think that we‘re happy” (12-15).  This stanza shows the similarity between the two cities because it shows that both cities want the other to see the pride being emitted from each other their cities, and to make a statement for what they believe in, but they both aren’t really that happy. How could they be? They are immersed in a surrounding filled with hatred and animosity.